A Ghost From The Past
by LautnerGrint
Summary: Imagine if Lavender never died: Would she have intefered? 1 month after Ron and Hermione get together, a troublesome 'ghost of the past' reappears... Enjoy! (Reviews would be good, not 100%)


**Not 100% with this story, just an idea. Feedback and reviews would be great for this reason!:D Imagine if Lavender never died: Would she have intefered? 1 month after Ron and Hermione get together, a troublesome 'ghost of the past' reappears... Enjoy!**

Hermione glaring after her, the front door slammed as the girl left, a smirk etched upon her face.

"Ronald Weasley, I can _not_ believe you!" Hermione shouted, turning on him. A sob instantly rose from the back of her throat and, with every single breath, her heart fragmented into a thousand intricate tiny pieces; Ron was reaching out for her, saying something - perhaps pleading - but she could no longer focus on what he was saying, or anything for that matter. She was _furious_. Absolutely furious. She felt betrayed. Despite this, through all of her angry thoughts, a reasoning voice at the back of her mind was trying to convince her that "It wasn't _his_ fault, it was _hers"_. Admittedly, a small part of her agreed - but he _had _kissed her back, even for a split second. He had. And that was enough. Enough to presently cause Hermione's heart to pummel against her chest and for her knees to weaken, but most of all, for her anger to sizzle and bubble; boiling until finally spilling over the edge, her insecurities following suit.

Hermione ran upstairs towards their bedroom, unable to look Ron in the eye any longer, and slammed the door as hard as she could. She slowly slid down onto the floor with defeat, her hands covering her face as the tears began to fall rapidly. As an after thought, she locked the door with a wave of her wand knowing Rons' wand was on the bedside table; Rons' footsteps slammed against the stairs as he sprinted after her, could hear his deep, sorrowful voice through the door, his fists pounding against the frame and tugging at the door handle desperately. The truth was, it was not completely the fact that another girl had kissed Ron with only a month of them being together, it was the fact it was _her_ of all people. Lavender Brown. This ultimately hit her hard.

A wave of memories washed over Hermione from their 6th year, cascading through her anger, replacing it with pure hatred. Jealousy. The image of Ron and Lavender kissing penetrated her mind, and for one tiny moment, Hermione pictured herself slapping Lavender just like she had to Draco Malfoy. A small smile curved at the corners of her lips with the memory, of how impressed Ron was...

But then the image dissolved, and was to be replaced with the scene she had just witnessed only moments before. Coming back from a visit to her parents, she had walked into the living room to find Lavender straddling Ron, kissing him passionately. The look of horror upon their faces when Hermione had walked in; Ron had shoved Lavender off of his lap instantly and had tried to convince Hermione it was not what it looked like...

"Hermione, let me in! Please! Just let me explain." He pleaded, his voice cracking with each pound of the door. Should she try and talk it out with him? He had never caused Hermione to feel so worthless. Hermione sat there, contemplating on what to do, gazing at a photo of herself, Ron and Harry from their 2nd year. She noted how happy they had looked. The tiny voice in her mind tried to reason with her again.

_"Just hear what he has to say. You don't have to believe it."_

But she had thought Ron loved her.

Hm, perhaps she will hear what he has to say. Then she could express the tumbling incoherent emotions she was experiencing. Sighing, she waved her wand, standing up, and resting her hand upon the doorknob. Her forehead pressed against the door as she hesitated and she could hear Ron breathing the other side. She hoped, if nothing else, that they would at least get through this, hoping her stubborn side would subside a little.

She yanked the door open and found herself face to face with Ron. Taking a step back, she folded her arms and nodded once; an indication for him to start talking. His voice softened as he spoke and, although Hermione was still seething, she was willing to listen. Her pulse roared in her ears as he began.

"Lavender came just as you left." He started nervously, "And before you ask, no I didn't know she was going to visit me." He swallowed, pausing, as if afraid Hermione might explode again. He ran his fingers through his flaming hair and moved towards their bed sitting down, patting the side next to him. However, Hermione wasn't about to cave in, simply standing with her arms crossed and fixing him with a stern stare. His ears tinged red and he continued.

"Yeah, so... She came in and I asked her what she wanted. Merlin, she was a bloody mess; her mascara was smudged down her cheeks, it- it looked like she'd been crying. I could smell alcohol on her breath. Bloody hell, I was shocked as you can imagine. She just burst into tears, and what the hell could I do but stand their awkwardly patting her back? She started to say how she still loved me-" With this, Hermione tried to cut in, her expression murderous. Ron, however, held up a hand to stop her. "Please, let me talk. So I instantly cut her off, of course. I mean, I love you. Not her. I asked her why she would say such a thing when she knows I'm with you..." He trailed off, gazing up at Hermione through his lashes with a hopeful expression. Hermione's jaw was clenched, but she no longer stood rigid;

"Go on..." She urged, her eyes flashing, burning into his. She wasn't quite sure she wanted to hear the rest, yet something drove her onwards. Jealousy. That was it. Ron cleared his throat, obviously choosing his words carefully.

"She said how I'm all she thinks about, that she hadn't fully moved on from when we... Anyway, I stood their trying to think of how to let her down gently. You know, she was a mess. I didn't want to her do anything stupid, and that's when she threw herself at me, kissed me and pushed me back into the chair." He looked down into his hands, grunted, "Then you walked in. I feel ashamed, Herm-"

"Honestly Ron, it's quite simple. You could have stopped her from kissing you!" Hermione's voice rose a little and she moved a step forwards, her hair tumbling around her, her brown eyes burning with a fire. He knew this look - he had to try and prevent another outburst. He loved her way too much to let something so little ruin their relationship before it had properly begun. He stood up, moved hesitatingly towards her. Hermione jutted out her chin and looked straight past him to the window, her mouth set into a firm line.

"She threw herself at me Hermione, I had no way of telling that she was going to do that," he whispered. She folded her arms as he reached for her hands. Ok, this was going to be difficult.

"You know what she's like. How-" Hermione dropped her gaze to the floor, unwilling to allow herself to cry again. "How do I know that you didn't feel anything when she kissed you? How do I know that you still want me? We've only been together a month, as well." With this, her eyes met his and she could see how much her words had effected him; Rons' blue eyes pierced through hers, filled with an urgency.

"How could you even think that? Don't you know how much I love you? I'm just pathetic at trying to express myself. But it's always going to be you, you nutter." He aimed for a smile, yet his brave attempt at humour backfired;

"You say this but I just can't believe... Of all the people, it _had_ to be Lavender." Her face darkened and her breathing increased. The image flashed through her mind once more, the feeling like finger nails scratching on a black board.

"It wasn't my fault-" Ron launched into an explanation but Hermione cut him off.

"Stop-" With each pause, her small fists pounded his broad chest-"Saying-" She hit his chest again, "It. Isn't. Your. Fault!" Ron grabbed her fists, adding a spark to her fire. She struggled to set them free, but Ron was too strong. He tried to calm her down, yet her voice rose above his.

"Ronald Weasley, you arse! Let go of-" Ron reacted instinctively. Swooping forwards, he crushed his lips to hers, silencing her. Initially, he kissed her to distinguish her anger. But, as soon as their lips met, he realised he _needed_ this kiss, to show her how much he loved her, how sorry he was, but most importantly, how much he will always want her. He let go of her wrists then and, his spine tingling, placed his hands on her waist. At first Hermione's anger erupted, resulting in the need to push him away. However, it was quickly overrun with one of the familiar, comfortable feelings only Ron could stir; love. Unrequited, passionate, good old fashioned loved.

He pulled away then, his heart fluttering, and was delighted to see his move had done the trick. On the contrary, Hermione was glowing, all of her rage diminishing with the radiant sun shining through the curtains. She smiled. On tip toe, she kissed his nose. Her anger had clouded her judgement - now, she could see it wasn't Rons' fault and it wasn't worth worrying about. He had just proved he was all hers, and she fully intended to let him know she was all his.

"Just - don't ever put me through that again... I'm - I'm sorry I hit you." She whispered. Butterflies soaring in the pit of her stomach, she wrapped her arms around his waist, looking up into his eyes intently.

"Don't be, I deserved it. I bloody love you, though." His thumb stroked her chin before he slowly cupped her cheek in one hand.

"I love you too." She replied, before meeting him half way and capturing her lips with his.

**Couldn't resist, bit of fluff at the end. Be sure to check out my other stories, again, would really appreciate the feedback - thanks!**


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